January 28, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
61 
maintain a stock of healthy plants a few should be raised annually. 
They grow quickly in heat, and large plants are better furnished 
when grown from young stock than when they have done duty, 
cut over, and induced to push up fresh growth. While ample 
stock has been raised this method must be practised. This will be 
found a useful plant, and will not be despised when well gi’own 
either as a single specimen or when used in conjunction with other 
plants. We have limited the stock of small plants of this kind, as 
the preceding two are so easily raised. The two forms of C. laxus 
will also be found useful for small pots. 
Asparagus plumosus and A. tenuissimus are graceful plants, 
and may be used with good efPect in any sized pot ; so far we prefer 
them in from to 7-inch pots. They are easily raised from cuttings : 
every portion with a joint and a small frond attached will make a 
plant. ^ They root so freely that each portion may be inserted 
in thumb pots, well watered and plunged in the propagating 
frame, or under handlights in heat. Those required for the larger 
size may have two or three cuttings inserted in the small pots ; this 
gives the plants a thicker and better furnished appearance at the 
base. Tn one year good plants can be grown suitable for a variety 
of purposes in 5 and 6-inch pots. For the dinner table where 
quantities of small plants are employed no plant could be more 
charming than these in small pots. When the plants are shabby 
they can be cut over and will spring up freely again from the 
base, but they never possess the same light and graceful appearance. 
They are so easily raised that when they are past their best the 
refuse heap is the best place for them. —Wm. Bardney. 
CTo be continued.) 
FRUIT CULTURE. 
Extension v. Restriction. 
(^Co7itinued from page 39.) 
The latter part of my subject applies to two systems of culture 
in the production of fruit trees and fruit—viz., the one known as 
extension, and the other as restriction. The former applies to all 
systems of culture, whether trees are allowed to grow naturally, or 
are artihcially trained. The latter also applies with equal force to 
all systems. The two are so closely united that to my mind it is 
very difficult to separate them, or to distinguish where one leaves 
off and the other begins. The two systems are often, in fact 
generally, being practised at the same time. Every plant and every 
tree as long as it continues to increase in either length, breadth, or 
height is extending, and whatever may be done by pruning, 
pinching, root-pruning, or anything else that tends to limit its 
growth, brings about principles of restriction. There is a limit to 
naturally grown trees, and the time comes when they cease 
extending. There is a limit to extension under glass. If a Vine 
is planted in the centre of a house extension takes place—say for 
a few years, until it has filled the whole house with canes. It then 
stops, and a restrictive system takes place as much with the Vine 
that has twenty canes as with the one that is grown on the single¬ 
rod principle. The last Vine is grown on the very same principle 
as long as an addition to its length takes place annually. If we 
look at extension and regard it solely from a philosophical point of 
view, that it is “ that property of a body by which it occupies a 
portion of space,” we can point to the Vine with its ten or twenty 
canes, and the Peach trees that has filled the trellis in three instead 
of six years as principles of extension pure and simple. 
From a practical point of view extension ends as soon as 
the plant or plants have filled the trellis allotted to them, and 
restriction commences. But how are these systems of extension 
carried out ? Mainly by leaving all, or nearly all, of the main 
shoots that have been made. In the case of the Vine rods are run 
to the top of the house, and left that length to bear fruit, thinking 
that by cutting them hard back, or reducing their length to 4 or 
5 feet, is wasting the energy of the Vine, and cutting away the 
best portion of the cane. This is true ; the buds are certainly the 
best towards the top, and viewed from this standpoint only it does 
appear a mistake to cut away this promising portion. If the well¬ 
being of the Vine is considered it is wise to make this sacrifice, and 
reduce the cane so that strong lateral growth will result for 
furnishing the base. But the question arises. Why rob the lower 
buds and so grow the cane that the best are at the top ? These to 
my mind are like pot Vines grown purposely for yielding fruit 
one year, and then to be thrown away. Frequently these are 
thickest at the top, and have their best buds also near the extremity. 
Canes that are allowed to extend the whole length of the rafters, 
and are then pinched, are in exactly the same condition, and make 
puny laterals only at the base, and strong ones at the top, having 
the appearance of being wrong way up. This is frequently the 
condition of Vines that have canes left at pruning time, yards, 
instead of feet, in length. If the buds could be induced to form 
as prominently towards the base as the top, and would break 
strongly and evenly throughout, then the restrictive system, or 
that known as such, could not be too strongly condemned. But 
this cannot be accomplished, for in many cases the eyes never 
break, and even if the canes are sevei’ely cut back they very seldom 
break strongly and well from, the lower eyes. Even running canes 
from the bottom to the top, unless they are to be cut practically 
close back, cannot be too strongly condemned. 
The object should be to build up a good foundation, and so 
grow the cane that its buds are plump from the base to the position 
to which it is to be cut back at pruning time. This is accom¬ 
plished by pinching the leader about 18 inches above the length it 
is to be left at pruning time. Directly the lateral appears from 
the axil of the top leaf remove it, and force the top main eye to 
burst again into growth. While this is taking place important 
work is going on below ; the cane thickens enormously, and the 
buds plump up and increase in size until the cane is thoroughly 
matured. The leader may then be allowed to extend as mueh as 
the cultivator desires. The right end of the cane is at the base, 
and the eyes will break strongly and evenly throughout the length 
that has been left. 
This, then, is called restriction. In the one case we have 
a well furnished cane and in the other a badly furnished one at the 
bottom. But we have to consider briefly the permanent results of 
the two systems. The one grown on the extension principle may 
be the thicker of the two. Theprincipleof extension quickly ends and 
re .triction begins earlier than in the other case. The one is limited 
in growth, as much so as an old or fully established Vine, whde the 
other has head room and can make vigorous growth, which, no doubt, 
assists the Vine wonderfully in carrying its early crops ot truit. 
But the permanent value of the two must be judged by the manner 
in which they have matured. The restricted Vine, for such it 
must be called to distinguish it from the other, solidifies consider¬ 
ably after it is stopped, and commences naturally to ripen at the 
base first. The wood is firmer and in the majority of cases less 
pithy than the other. The one is steadily and surely bui t up, the 
other is rapidly grown—often overgrown, and is very liable to 
collapse after the few first years’ strain of fruit-bearing. 
We must leave the Vine and look at the Peach, for principles 
of extension are applied to these. The system with these mainly 
consists in laying in the shoots the entire length they have made 
during the season, as well as the laterals that issue from them and 
are rightly placed. Once the tree is established there is no diffi¬ 
culty in indudng the formation of shoots 4 to 6 or more feet in 
length. This is certainly a quick and ready method of filling the 
trellis with wood. Nevertheless I do not favour this principle in 
all its details, but a modified system in the case of these trees 
1 do admire. First, trees run up on these principles must be 
short-lived in comparison to those that are grown on more moderate 
principles. Such strong shoots cannot be thoroughly matured, and 
disease must result. The laterals I strongly object to ; there is 
generally a bare space of 2 or 3 inches between the main shoot 
from which they have issued and the first buds on them. This is 
the first step towards the tree getting bare towards its main 
branches. This strong growth induces a grossness that it is very 
difficult to change. This is not all, for in proportion to their 
shoots and their quality so are their roots ; they are strong, prac¬ 
tically fibreless. Trees that are encouraged from the first to make 
moderate growth, and their shoots are balanced by summer 
pinching, have some stability. The wood becomes firm, solid, and 
well matured, and they are capable of bearing heavy crops of fine 
fruit without much injury ; the roots, too, are not strong and 
fibreless, but are a mass of active feeders. If they exceed what 
we may term moderate growth the well known restrictive measure 
of gently root-pruning them induces the formation of good bearing 
wood and plump buds that will “stick on,” while those on stiong 
overgrown trees are certain to fall. The old restrictive pt inciple 
of hard pruning back these trees is practically a thing of the past, 
and those who have advocated extreme measures of extension have 
done good by inducing growers to discontinue the free use of the 
knife and adopt moderate systems of extension. 
I had intended dealing with this subject more particularly in 
relation to hardy fruits. Trees two years from the bud or graft 
should be planted. I have seen some hundreds planted that have 
been grown in a natural manner from the fiist on what I call 
extension principles. The first shoot from the bud or graft varies 
in length according to the size and strength of the stock, and are 
considerably shorter on dwarfing stocks than on free ones I h ive 
seen Victoria Plums on large stocks 8 or 9 feet in length or more 
the first season. But for illustration we will suppose them to be 
2 feet 6 inches to 3 feet in length. Trees prepared largely for 
planting are run up quickly, like a good many other things. Those 
f*r bushes and pyramids are often left their entire length. If ihe 
